According to Webster, the word hospitality means, "1. The friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers.  2. the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way."  A Christian would do well to study this word and the meaning and make it a habit in his life.
     The Bible tells us that "A bishop then must be .........given to hospitality......."  (1 Tim. 3:2).   Seeing that all Christian men should strive to fit themselves to serve as elders, then they should all seek to add this virtue to their lives as soon as possible.  Paul tells us that the "widow indeed" must be a person who is "Well reported of for good works;...... if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work"  (1 Tim. 5:10).  That being the case, all Christian women should strive to fit this description early in life.  However, we are all told to be "hospitable."   John tells us another reason for being hospitable to (especially) the brethren. "Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth"  (3 Jn. 5-8).
     Looking back through the pages of history we find some excellent examples of hospitality.  In Genesis 18 we find the three men approaching the tent of Abram and looking at his actions we see a true spirit of hospitality.  Look at what he did. "Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat"  (Gen. 18:6-8).   The curious type might wonder how much that meal cost Abram.  However, that is not the point.  Abram wanted to help someone who was traveling.  The thing that Abram did was not something that caused him to loose his car because he couldn’t make the payment, but it was something that cost him in possessions and in time.  That is how hospitality works.
     Then we look at a page in the life of Elisha, the great prophet of God.   "And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread"   (2 Kings 4:8).   This woman was not great simply because she was hospitable, but her hospitality was the fruit of her greatness.  We can show people our greatness by being hospitable when we are given the chance.  Maybe you have an empty room a visiting preacher could stay in {for free} or perhaps you could furnish a meal or two or ten for a person who could use it.  This all goes to show our greatness in the Lord.
     This question is for you.  What will you do the next time you are given the chance to be hospitable?